PvP: WAR adjustments (suggestion)

[Reinhardt_Azureheim]

If that's your angle, basically none of the jobs get their big damage from sustaining combos other than like, MNK cuz of Phantom Rush and PLD cuz of its staying power.

I totally get the moment to moment gameplay of 123 not feeling satisfying, but isn't that because it's specifically filler? It's more of a novelty for jobs that DO get something out of it, frankly. WAR is not the odd man out in that regard. Just downtime till you set up your next big Rend play.

I think there is a misunderstanding. For one my main gripe isn't filler not building additional damage skills in a vacuum, it is when a mix of the following occurs:

• Downtime between cannot be reasonably filled with other combative actions
• The effective burst / combat time is quite short vs the filler time
• The filler / 123 combo having zero synergy or kit interaction

Sure might be a tad picky, but this is just explaining where I come from with my hate for the Storm's Path combo (and others as you soon read). Filler doesn't need to be boring and non-interactive to be filler.

As for your comment for how it is a novelty... not quite. Here is a list I put together. O marks what type of filler I find quite alright, ? where I have mixed feelings but can live with it, X is where I have criticism in terms of gameplay flow (NOT HOW THE JOB PERFORMS):

• [ O ] PLD: Combo grants Atonement, also available with short CD Intervene and mid CD Shield Bash. Part of your downtime can also be filled with Guardian -> Guard utility.
• [ X ] WAR: Combo is barren, your burst sits in an awkward position of Primal Rend at 15s as GCD, Orogeny as 20s as oGCD and Chaotic Cyclone stuck behind Bloodwhetting. The height of your downtime is reapplying Onslaught.
• [ O ] DRK: Soul Eater Combo is barren, however excess HP from Soul Eater, Quietus and Salted Earth can be spent at will on Shadowbringer -> Bloodspiller rather than waiting on damage cooldowns to return
• [ O ] GNB: Combo grants Burst Strike + Continuation + it has the full Gnashing Fang combo + Continuation combo for filler before Double Down bursts
  .
• [ O/? ] DRG: Wheeling Thrust Combo is barren, however off-burst Heaven's Thrust from short CD High Jump is available as well as Chaotic Spring on various times if you choose to do so
• [ ? ] RPR: Combo is barren, at most you use the finisher for a "very" sad 3-gcd Death Warrant if you mess up along the way. Not a fan of this one but I suppose your signature Voidsent form makes up for it with being frequently up.
• [ O ] MNK: Combo builds Phantom Rush as you said, but also extends Riddle of Wind GCD speed boost, has natively low GCD timer of 2.00s and Snap Punch + Demolish hit harder than "finishers".
• [ O ] SAM: Entire combo can be transformed into AOE variants with a Bind, double damage or lifesteal attached to them, at your own leisure.
• [ O ] NIN: Combo is barren, but a combo finisher under Bunshin can reach higher damage than Fuma Shuriken. Also Fuma Shuriken recharges fast and the more likely filler.
  .
• [ ? ] BRD: Powerful Shot is not "wow", but it does reduce the recharge time on Empyreal Arrows, so there is "some" interactivity.
• [ ? ] MCH: Blast Charge is... "something". It builds to Overheated, but honestly that one feels terrible for how long you have to build it.
• [ O ] DNC: Combo is relatively basic, but at least interacts with En Avant to build up to Saber Dance.
  .
• [ O ] BLM: Building to Flare / Freeze and debuff stacks is literally a core mechanic in this job that you do regardless if bursting or filler.
• [ X ] SMN: This one... is Ruin III if you spent all your Favour skills (Crimson Cyclone, Slipstream, Mountain Buster) and Festers. As mentioned before, I do not think this is something to use as a good template.
• [ O ] RDM: Filler time is minimal with 2-4 GCDs at most before next melee combo and / or Resolution is available. Also dualcast, so there is some job mechanic.

Not going into Healers, they have a whole different game going on with their general team utility.

Besides, you'd lose a little sustain with an extra GCD in your combo before the next storms path, too. Maybe it could just shave like 3 seconds off of Onslaught or something? It's more damage, and more mobility, and it'd help set up hard swaps more easily, which is already pretty well into WAR's wheelhouse imo. Though that perk feels like it'd make more sense for GNB given how important Rough Divide is for them.

You'd gain the sustain again for replacing a Heavy Swing and / or Maim in your Bloodwhetting window with an 8000 dmg Fell Cleave. The Onslaught idea I'd be on board, if it wasnt for essentially costing yourself more HP over time, which is costly outside of the Bloodwhetting Window, which is also your burst window (if you use Chaotic Cyclone in your burst). The hardswap thing is true though, it would turn out less predictable.

[Valence]

[*][ ? ] MCH: Blast Charge is... "something". It builds to Overheated, but honestly that one feels terrible for how long you have to build it.

I more or less agree with the list, but as a MCH main I can't say I find it terrible. What feels terrible is losing the stacks, sure (I wouldn't mind an additional effect on analysis that resets the heat stack timer). The thing is that you usually need the 5 hits else all your tools are never ready and especially not WF, so you overheat for nothing. This was a huge problem of the job at 6.1 release when WF was on a higher recast (25s), as WF was always a little late when you had full uptime and it was awkward af. Overheating into the void or just having to slow down damage...

If you drop the amount of hits required to overheat, then the job becomes borderline OP, and would also need a reduced WF recast once more because otherwise it's literally no gain.

I like this mechanic, especially since the burst is powerful (but only with Spite on top of it unfortunately). But I'd agree that it doesn't happen enough in comparison to jobs like RDM/DRG.

[Reinhardt_Azureheim]

I more or less agree with the list, but as a MCH main I can't say I find it terrible. What feels terrible is losing the stacks, sure (I wouldn't mind an additional effect on analysis that resets the heat stack timer). The thing is that you usually need the 5 hits else all your tools are never ready and especially not WF, so you overheat for nothing. This was a huge problem of the job at 6.1 release when WF was on a higher recast (25s), as WF was always a little late when you had full uptime and it was awkward af. Overheating into the void or just having to slow down damage...

If you drop the amount of hits required to overheat, then the job becomes borderline OP, and would also need a reduced WF recast once more because otherwise it's literally no gain.

I like this mechanic, especially since the burst is powerful (but only with Spite on top of it unfortunately). But I'd agree that it doesn't happen enough in comparison to jobs like RDM/DRG.

Yeah I know. That's why I honestly labelled it with a questionmark, I felt not sure on that so only gave my.personal gut feeling rather than being technical about it.

Maybe they could attempt Overheat at 4 stacks rather than 5 but honestly wouldnt touch it.